IMPLEMENTATION OF ADAPTIVE PRODUCT CUSTOMIZATION PROCESSES IN MASS PRODUCTION

The article presents the results of research and implementation of adaptive calibration systems used in setting up mass-produced products. The proposed method allows you to speed up the tuning of the HF transceiver. In the process of tuning, with the help of a neural network, an adaptive correction of the approximating function of the incident wave sensor is made according to the accumulated data, which makes it possible to reduce the time for tuning the transceiver. The introduction of the mathematical apparatus of neural networks can be applied in the process of mass production for other products.

Resilience in Industry 4.0 Digital Infrastructures and Platforms

We live in a world where companies are shifting to the industry 4.0 paradigm. One of the pillars of Industry 4.0 is the digitalization of physical assets and manufacturing processes, moving toward the Cyber-Physical Production Systems concept (CPPS). In these systems, every component of the production process – machines, tools, workstations, etc. – is equipped with sensors, possesses information about itself, and can interact with each other, allowing the production of smaller batches at lower prices and increase product customization through adaptative processes. Consequently, companies are evolving their information systems to have more visibility and control over their production systems. This change increases both the production system’s agility and its vulnerability to communication and information related disruptions. Hence, companies that adhere to Industry 4.0 enabling technologies must adopt new methodologies and tools to become aware of the new risks that arise by the introduction of new digital platforms, their impacts in the production systems, and how they may react to remain resilient. In this paper, disruption events and adequate mitigation strategies are analysed, modelled, and simulated as part of a methodology designed to measure the impacts of disruptive events on the production system.

Price and Service Competition in a Dual-Channel Supply Chain with Product Customization

This paper considers a dual-channel supply chain with product customization. One manufacturer and one retailer are involved. The online direct sales channel sells standard and customized products, and the offline retail channel sells standard products. The prices and service levels of products sold via different channels are differentiated, and the customization level which influences the customization cost and choices of customers is decided by the manufacturer. Three game models are proposed: the manufacturer Stackelberg (MS) model, the retailer Stackelberg (RS) model, and the Nash game model. The price and service decisions of the players are derived. Meanwhile, a service-cost-sharing contract is designed for the MS model. The impacts of price and service competition, service cost, and customers sensitivity to the customization level on the optimal decisions are investigated. Through the numerical analysis, we find that, among the three models, the manufacturer Stackelberg model is the most beneficial game structure for the overall supply chain but has the largest revenue gap between the two members. Second, under price competition and service competition, the manufacturer should differentiate the prices and services for direct sales standard products and customized products according to his market status. Third, the manufacturer should increase customization expenditures to construct his customization production line and provide more diversified products when consumers are more sensitive to product customization.

A Layered KNN-SVM Approach to Predict Missing Values of Functional Requirements in Product Customization

The conversion from functional requirements (FRs) to design parameters is the foundation of product customization. However, original customer needs usually result in incomplete FRs, limited by customers’ incomprehension on the design requirements of these products. As the incomplete FRs may undermine the design activities afterwards, managers need to develop an effective approach to predict the missing values of the FR. This study proposes an integrative approach to obtain the complete FR. The k nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm is employed to predict the missing continuous variables in FR, using the improved distance formula for two incomplete FRs. Support vector machine (SVM) classifiers are adopted to classify the missing categorical variables in FR, combined with directed acyclic graph for multi-class classification. KNN and SVM are then integrated into a multi-layer framework to predict the missing values of FR, where categorical and continuous variables both exist. A case study on the elevator customization is conducted to verify that KNN-SVM is feasible in accurate prediction of elevator FR values. Furthermore, KNN-SVM outperforms other five single and five composite methods, with average reduction in root mean squared error (RMSE) of 39% and 21% against KNN and KNN-Tree, respectively.

Platform Governance Design in Platform Ecosystems: Implications for Complementors’ Multihoming Decision

Extant platform research focuses on how platform owners’ governance behaviors directly affect complementors. This study explicates the multilateral interdependence among different groups of producers within a platform ecosystem. We theorize about how platform owners’ governance design may create frictions between platform providers and complementors. While open governance grants greater autonomy to platform providers, it also cultivates a more complex ecosystem for complementors. Since ecosystem complexity raises the cost of product customization, complementors will be less willing to port an existing complement to a more complex ecosystem, that is, less likely to multihome. The negative effect is weakened as the complementor has greater experience with the destination ecosystem or when the complement exhibits a greater level of modularity. Our analysis of newly launched apps in Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android smartphone ecosystems finds supportive evidence. We discuss implications for the burgeoning literature on platform ecosystems and complementors.

MARKETING AND LOGISTICS SOLUTIONS IN THE PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES OF INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES

The article discusses the interaction of marketing and logistics in the implementation of industrial and economic activities by industrial enterprises, the management of which may be adversely affected by really possible changes of a different nature. Moreover, the whole range of changes is divided into five groups according to the sources of their occurrence: system-wide (changes made to legislative acts in the field of taxation, investment, insurance and customs activities); industry (changes in terms of market conditions, terms of renovation of technical devices, industry standards, product certification); regional (changes regarding specific features of the region’s infrastructure); partnership (changes in the tariff policy and price characteristics of the services provided); corporate (changes in relation to the requirements for staff work). For each group, a ministudy of possible changes and reactions to them in the form of optimal and rational decisions in the implementation of joint marketing and logistics activities was conducted. The proposed solutions are part of the marketing and logistics tools, which are outsourcing and insourcing, product customization, maneuvering with inventories, relationship marketing, reengineering analysis.

Direktcompoundierung für die Medizintechnik/Development of direct compounding

In diesem Beitrag wird die Entwicklung des Direktcompoundierens (Direktspritzguss und Direktextrusion) als Alternative zum konventionellen zweistufigen Prozess, der aus dem Compoundieren und anschließender Verarbeitung in der Kunststofftechnik besteht, vorgestellt. Bei der Direktcompoundierung werden Mischen, Schmelzen und Formen zu fertigen Produkten kombiniert. Ein Vorteil hierbei ist die Möglichkeit von Produktindividualisierungen durch die direkte Einflussnahme und Anpassung der Materialrezeptur.   The content of this article is the development of direct compounding (direct injection molding and direct extrusion) as an alternative to the conventional two-stage process, which consists of compounding and subsequent processing in the polymer technology. Direct compounding comprises material mixing, melting and direct molding to form finished products in one step. One advantage here is the possibility of product customization through direct influence and adaptation of the material recipe.

Product customization and generative design

Parametric design is essentially a generative design that can be created using a computer and mathematical relationships. In a process-oriented way (instead of changing the shape), we modify the components' parameters that make up the shape, resulting in a new look. Because manipulations' consequences can be seen immediately, the development of product families and new product variants can be implemented quickly. With the help of parametric design, customizing the product and increasing customer satisfaction is more efficient, as several successful projects have already shown in automotive industry, aircraft manufacturing, architecture, jewellery manufacturing, etc.